The New Kid
by socksophrenia
Summary: Chi-Chi forces herself to let Gohan go to high school so that he can make friends his age and learn to deal with everyday people. Gohan is anxious to be perceived as normal. Videl can't shake the feeling that she's seen the new kid before, but from where?
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Gohan touched ground right in front of the front door to his home and looked at it a bit apprehensively. He opened the door silently and slipped inside. Looking around, he crept up the stairs and tiptoed to his room. Just as he passed the threshold and began shutting the door, a slippered foot caught the door. Gohan sighed. So close.

"And just where were you, hmm?" Chi-Chi asked, arms crossed and eyes flashing.

"Umm, just out for some fresh air? And um, to see Icarus! You know I haven't seen him in a long time." He put his hand in his hair, as usual when he was nervous and/or lying.

"So I'm sure you didn't train at all then." Chi-Chi challenged.

"Well, maybe a little bit. But just a teeny bit of training." His voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke, as if it would keep his mom from exploding as he was sure she would. It was almost funny how scared he was of her, considering he was the one with super strength. But she was his mother, and she controlled the kitchen and the pursestrings.

"And what about your studies, Gohan? You're going to high school tomorrow. Neither of us know what you should expect but I'll be damned if anyone shows my son up academically! I've put too much of my time and effort for you to lose to anyone in grades. Remember that! You have your time to train, but you have your time to study too."

"I studied! I did. I swear! Look!" Gohan rushed to pick up a book haphazardly laying on a chair. "I finished the Physics textbook Bulma lent me the other week. I went to her place earlier today, remember I took Goten too? and went through those chemistry experiments I showed you the plans for yesterday. Those were awesome! Plus, I worked on that English textbook I've been having trouble with. Seriously, if I had someone to practice with, I'd be a lot better." Gohan stopped rambling as Chi-Chi's eyes softened and her entire body became less rigid. Gohan suddenly noticed that she seemed to have more wrinkles than he remembered.

"Okay. I get it. You'll do well in school. I know it, because you're my son. You know why I'm sending you there, right?" Gohan nodded, but she kept speaking anyway, mostly to convince herself. "You don't really have many friends here. And don't interrupt" she said as he opened his mouth. "Your brother doesn't count. Bulma, Trunks and Vegeta don't count. Icarus doesn't count. You don't know how to deal with people your own age. You've never had to. All the Z fighters met when we were young, but you've...been isolated. Here." She sighed. "Make friends, okay? Don't necessarily come straight home if you can spend time with friends. Though let me know if you'll be especially late. Get a study partner to practice English with. Meet a nice girl, maybe?"

"Mom!" Gohan blushed scarlet.

"Oh, honey, you know your father and I met when we were younger than you! Who's to say you won't find your future wife at school? And you're a handsome boy. The girls will flock to you!"

"Mom. Seriously. Stop!" Gohan turned redder.

"You also need to learn to deal with crabby people" She continued.

"You mean like Vegeta?" They laughed.

"Yes, like Vegeta. Except, you can't fight a normal kid who insults you like you can Vegeta. You probably shouldn't fight at all. You know I don't like you fighting, but especially now where you can really hurt people, just- just don't do it. Okay?"

"Yes, mom." It was a reasonable request. Though unnecessary. It wasn't as if Gohan was going to go rampaging on the streets or anything. Conversation over, he headed back to his room and prepared to take a shower before dinner.

After dinner, Chi-Chi remembered something important. "Gohan," she called. "Would you come over here please?" A few moments later and she handed him a clean dish to dry and picked up a dirty dish to wash as they spoke. I just remembered, you know Yamcha's teaching physical education at your school, right?"

"Oh yeah. I feel like you mentioned that a while ago. How's that going to work?" He set the dish down on the drying rack and took another.

"He's going to pretend like he doesn't know you. That way, you won't get any extra attention."

"That'll be weird, though good, I guess. I'll miss talking to him though." Gohan said. He hadn't seen Yamcha in a few years, but he was still a family friend. Not talking to him would be difficult, but worth the lack of scrutiny. Chi-Chi had told him about how Yamcha was pretty famous, even though he retired from being a baseball star a few years back. He thought it would be weird if a nobody from the mountains like him would know this huge baseball celebrity. He wasn't even quite sure what baseball was. Something about a ball and bat and strikes which he knew meant all the pins fell down, which was apparently good. That sounded about right to him.

"Also, I'll write a letter to get you out of the class since you're so worried about being normal. You sure about that though?"

" Well, not every class. Something I can use as an excuse. Like asthma. If I'm going to be normal, I can't sit out everything. But once we get to martial arts, I can't really do that. There only needs to be one person just moderately skilled enough to catch that my stances are perfect. And if they call me out on it, I might get challenged by someone. And I don't want to risk that." Gohan didn't want any extra attention on him without any idea what to expect. He wanted to see what a normal life would be like, since he didn't have one. He wanted to be normal, have normal friends and worry about normal stuff. He could be abnormal back home, or at the Briefs' house. He told himself he wouldn't use even half his strength at school. Maybe not even more than a fourth. He'd have to judge depended on the others in his school and make a decision accordingly.

The next morning, Gohan got up at the crack of dawn as usual. This was the perfect time to train for several reasons: it woke him up, left him feeling refreshed and energized for the rest of the day, gave him a good appetite (not that it needed much helping in the first place), and was sanctioned by his mom as training time. Originally reluctantly given as a way to encourage Gohan to study, Chi-Chi soon saw how happy it made her son and knew she could not take that little away from him, except in punishment. The added bonus was that Goten was still sleeping soundly.

Gohan always started his training session with a seated meditation where he first cleared his mind as Piccolo taught him, and then created a purpose for the day, for the training. Having a clear head to react to anything with was important in general, but especially important when facing a new situation. He got up and stretched and then slid into his fighting stance.

He started slow, a leg sweep here, a chest-level punch there. He moved in all angles and sped up, jabbing punches faster and faster until most people would not be able to even follow the movements. He kicked at the air, or what should've been air, and split a giant tree in two, causing it to crash heavily into the ground.

'Whoops,' he thought. "Didn't mean to do that. Guess I'll just bring it over for firewood or something.' With little effort, he picked the massive trunk and carried it above his head as he flew home. After dropping it off, he continued his training for another hour before his stomach growled noisily and demanded food. He told his stomach to hold on a little longer, then went home and took a quick shower. When walking in, the table had been laden with food, and the smell followed him upstairs. His shower lasted no more than five minutes before he was stuffing his face at the dining room table. Chi-Chi smacked him on the head. "Eat with a little more dignity. Honestly, it's like you've been starved. And you need to be a good role model for Goten."

Goten, awake and eating at the table looked up at the sound of his name, mouth impossibly full of food.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"I can't help it. Your food is too good." Gohan said. Goten mumbled an agreement before swallowing.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Chi-Chi screeched. "And thank you, dear," she said much more calmly to Gohan. "Now get your things ready and get going or you'll be late." Her tone sharpened. "And we don't want that, do we." It wasn't a question. Gohan gulped and went up to his room. He grabbed his bag and on second thought, opened it up to make sure he had everything for the tenth time since he packed it the day before.

'Let's see. I've got pens, pencils, a calculator, a dictionary, notebooks, folders, notecards, a highlighter, and my wallet is right there. I think I'm good. I'll be getting my textbooks and schedule at the main office which is...' he checked one of the folders where he had written the room number down on a piece of looseleaf. 'Ah, Room 157. Okay, easy enough.' He kissed his mother goodbye on the cheek, ignoring her sad wistful look, and ruffled Goten's hair.

"See you, twerp. Study well for Mom, and we'll see if I can't find time to play with you after homework tonight, okay?"

"Yay!" Goten cried. "Come back soon!"

"After classes, Goten."

"How long is that?" He asked.

"Um, how about you ask Mom. I've gotta go." The last thing he heard was Goten asking Chi-Chi how long school was and why wasn't he going too.

A/N: 8/28/12. I love the 'Gohan in high school' stories, however most versions are surprisingly similar. While I want Gohan to be found out for the superhero he is, it's often in a too dramatic and unrealistic way where Gohan is always getting the short hand of the stick. Also, there are tons of stories (in general as well with this type) where I can't even get past the first paragraph because of the horrible grammar (Seriously, if you don't know how to use a comma or when to use a capital letter, please at least get a beta reader). So I suddenly got inspired to begin to write a version of my own in the middle of the night (seriously, it's 4am now). Unfortunately, my inspirations don't tend to last long and I tend to drop my work, so I don't know how far into the story I'll actually get. If nothing else, I believe this is a start which shows especially Chi-Chi, but perhaps Gohan as well, in a different light than they are normally painted.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Videl sighed. She was not having a Very Good Day. She saw the last bit of Golden Boy's figure as he flew away god knows where. She suspected behind the next building. She hadn't gotten a good look at him, but the glowing gold hair was hard to miss.

'Stupid tricks. I'm not falling for this one.' She had actually been assisting the police with some other minor criminal when this magic boy showed up for this one. The criminals there had been daunting, she admitted. One had big muscles, stood at least a foot and a half taller than she and weighed probably twice, maybe even closer to three times as much as she did. The other guy was smaller, scrawnier, though still bigger than Videl (not terribly hard to do - she looked petite at her 5'1 height, despite her ass-kicking abilities) had shifty looking eyes and seemed to be the brains of the operation from what the Chief told her. They both had had guns, and hostages. Videl wished she had been there to stop them. Not this idiot magic boy.

She looked at her watch. 'Late for school. Again. Jeez, I oughta get paid for doing this. It's like a job. I get more things done and violent criminals off the streets than the _police_ do. And they're paid to do it!'. Only a few blocks away from school, Videl decided it would take longer to fly and land her capsule helicopter and set off running. She tossed a a farewell to the officers dispersing the premises. As she ran, she heard people talking about the magic idiot.

"He caught bullets with his bare hands!"

"He bent the guns! Bent! How'd he do that?"

"What the hell is he?"

"Who cares, he saved us!"

'What a load of bs,' Videl thought. It was obviously a trick. She wouldn't be surprised if the criminals he'd stopped were in on it, shooting fake bullets, using clay guns polished with a metal finish. If that the case, he'd be very dangerous. The people were already beginning to think of him as a hero. A superhero. Like the American Superman to her Batman. He could use that trust against the city.

Even if the other two weren't in on it, all that would mean is that he's a brave idiot trying to get attention for doing what he did. But better leave it to the professionals. Namely, her. The flying thing had something to do with strings. If she had had the time, she'd have tailed him, figured out what the case was. But duty called. She had class to get to.

Not ten minutes later, she skidded into homeroom and immediately bowed respectfully to Ms. Naga.

"Sorry for being late again. There was some trouble at the bank and I was called in." She straightened out and was surprised to see a kid standing up front, his mouth open like he was in the middle of saying something. She belatedly realized he probably was. She'd never seen him before, so he was probably the new kid she'd heard about, introducing himself. He seemed almost familiar. He seemed scrawny, his clothes hanging off him like they were a size too big. Maybe they were. He was taller than her and had weird spiky hair... 'that's it! His hair is kinda like that golden idiot. Hmm...couldn't be the same guy, could it? No way.'

"Yes, I heard about it on the radio as I drove in today, Ms. Videl," Ms. Naga replied. "You are excused. Please take your seat. Mr. Gohan, please continue." Videl made her way towards Erasa and Sharpner as the new kid began talking.

"Um, so as I was saying, this is my first time at school. My hobbies are reading, studying, playing with my kid brother, and camping. I hope to get to know everyone throughout the year. Please take care of me." he bowed.

"What's his deal?" Videl whispered to Erasa. Erasa leaned in, clearly eager to be the first to gossip about him.

"Well, all I know is that he's from the mountains and was home schooled all his life. Oh! And that he's apparently a genius. Got every single answer right on the placement test. Seems pretty cute for a nerd! Nervous too. Probably nervous we'll gobble him up, not that I'd mind doing that..."

"Okay, I don't want hear that. Really. Please shut it." Videl said.

"Hey, maybe he'll sit next to us! In fact..."

"No! Erasa, don't" Videl said, a moment too late. She looked behind her where Sharpner was sitting and exchanged exasperated glances as Erasa called out for the "cute newbie" to sit next to her. Ugh. The last thing Videl wanted was for some new kid to go all hero worship over her. Erasa knew how much she hated that. 'I'll get you later for this,' she mouthed. Erasa just giggled.

New Kid hesitantly walked up, face red. Videl glared at him, already irritated. Then she sighed. 'It's not his fault Erasa called him over. And there's definitely no way this sorry loser could've stopped a crime. What was I thinking? The hair's not even the same.' She patted the empty seat next to her. His face instantly lit up and she looked the other way, her face a bit warm. 'I didn't even do anything' she thought.

"Nerd" Sharpner whispered. He was just loud enough that the New Kid definitely would have heard, and Videl was impressed besides herself when he gave no indication of hearing it.

"Hey nerd boy" Sharpner said a bit louder. He wasn't the type to settle for being ignored. "I know you can hear me."

Instead, Erasa turned around and glared. "Lay off. He's brand new. Like, not just to this school but to school in general!"

"Yeah, whatever. I just want to warn him away from my girl."

"Your girl?" asked Videl. "Who's that?"

"Ouch. That hurts. You, of course."

Videl snorted. "Please, as if I'd go out with you. And you know that Daddy would tear you to pieces in less than five minutes."

"Um, what does your dad have to do with anything? He overprotective?" New Kid asked. Videl's jaw dropped. He didn't know? Then she remembered that he was from the boonies and was glad her personal life wasn't as well known there as it was in the city.

"Yeah, he's overprotective. Daddy's made it very clear that if anyone wants to date me, they have to beat him first. But no one can beat him, of course."

"Of course?" New Kid said, a bit dazed.

"Of course!" Erasa butted in. "Hercules' the strongest man in the world!"

"Yeah. I'm not interested in anyone anyway, but it's still unfair of him to do that to me." Videl paused. New Kid had a strange look on his face. "What?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. Just, you know, the strongest man in the world. How about that." New kid laughed, but it had a nervous tinge to it.

"Relax. He doesn't go around beating my classmates up."

"Yeah, Hercules is better than that. A World Champion. And I'm training in his dojo! It's pretty awesome." Sharpner said.

"Oh wow, that, um, must be great. Wow. Um, bet he's real powerful and stuff." New Kid's tone seemed hollow, and he seemed more nervous than before. Videl had never seen someone react to her this strangely. Maybe he had something to hide. Why else would he be almost afraid of the man who killed Cell? Or maybe, she reasoned, he's not used to celebrities or the big city. The bell rung and everyone got up to make their way to their first class.

"So, what do ya have now, cutie?" Erasa asked.

"Um, my name's Gohan? And I think it's Modern History." He fumbled around in his gigantic backpack (What did he even have in there, Videl wondered) and pulled out his schedule. "Yeah, history."

"Oh! Me too!" Erasa squealed. She grabbed his arm and started pulling him after her. "Videl's got math and Sharpner's headed towards English. We can compare schedules later!" Videl and Sharpner headed the opposite direction.

"So what do you think of him?" Sharpner gestured towards the pair.

"We've only just met him, so we'll see. Brownie points for not hitting on me or sucking up to me. Otherwise, can't say I'm too impressed."

"Yeah, he's a nerd. Can't believe he got everything right on that placement test. Maybe he's a cheater. Or maybe he just studies all day. You heard him, right? 'My hobby is to study'. Bet he's as strong as a limp fish."

Videl laughed. "Well, it's not like there's much else to do in the boonies, right? Though you might want to take a page out of his book and study yourself, or we'll be leaving you behind at graduation."

"Yeah, yeah. You'd like that, wouldn't you," Sharpner grumbled.

A/N So I realized after I posted ch. 1 that I didn't really go into Gohan's emotions much about going to school. Let's just say he's being his usual naive self, with that meditation helping too. I mean, he's killed Cell after all. Kids his age probably don't seem as daunting to him in comparison (especially since he doesn't know how teens are). So, let's go with that.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Gohan sat in his advanced biology class. There was only - he stole a glance at the clock at the front of the room - 15 minutes left until the end of the day. The people around him were scribbling furiously at their notebooks, copying word for word what was on the powerpoint the teacher had up. Among them was Sharpner. Gohan was a bit surprised to see him at the beginning of the period, having the impression that he was mostly just a muscle head not interested in studies. Sharpner must have seen the look on his face because he smirked arrogantly.

"What? Can't a student take some honors class? Well, I'll be honest - my parents wanted me to take the class and Mr. Josan's a pushover if you know how to work him."

Gohan had sheepishly apologized, which was accepted by Sharpner's noncommittal "don't worry about it". He remembered that he was technically a muscle head too. Obsessed with fighting and training. Looking to get stronger. He was way stronger than Sharpner, even though his training time had been chipped away at as he got older and was assigned more academic work by his mother. Shame on him for assuming things.

Gohan felt odd. He scribbled in his notebook, but he didn't have the practice the others had from years of note-taking. He trailed behind, leaving spaces each time Mr. Josan clicked through to the next slide with him only halfway through the previous slide. Most of his lessons back home had straight out of the book. And, he was able to - expected, even - to write in them. The books he got in each classroom were not to be touched by pen nor pencil nor highlighter. Weird. Right now, the only thing going for him was that his mother had drilled this stuff in his head before. He was miles ahead of the subject - the anatomy of a plant cell. Easy stuff.

Mr. Josan clicked to the final slide which held the day's homework on it, and an audible sigh of relief was made by Sharpner. The room became noisy as everyone started packing up. Then the bell rang.

"See you around, nerd!" Sharpner called out, already halfway out the door. Gohan waved, but Sharpner was already gone in the hallway crowd. His neighbor on the other side more respectfully said goodbye and that it was nice to meet him.

School was...different. Yes, obviously there are people there - different teachers, people his age. But he felt almost overwhelmed and on edge. He didn't really know the proper protocol around anyone. He ended up either spewing too much random information at people he spoke to, or reined himself in and spoke little. They looked at him with annoyance and panic with the former, and, well, annoyance and pity with the latter. He didn't understand what they talked about. They mentioned random people like Gohan should've known who they were. He asked someone who those random people were. She told him that "those random people" were celebrities, and what, was he living under a rock? Weirdo.

"Well, I do live pretty close to a mountain" he joked, and was met with a blank stare. He felt way in over his head. He was just glad school was over for the day. He'd get used to it, he knew, but this was the first day, and he wanted out.

Like a school of fish, students were all heading in the same direction - down the stairs and out the front entrance of the building. Gohan struggled against the current as he climbed up the stairs, heading towards the roof, meeting annoyed glances as people were forced to move out of the way.

"Oh hey cutie!" Erasa said as she climbed down the stair. "Where're you going? The exit's the other way". She grabbed his hand and guided him to a corner so they wouldn't piss everyone off.

"Um, hey Erasa" Gohan blushed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nowhere. Well, obviously I'm going somewhere, but it's not really important. Not that I don't want to tell you. Um. I need to talk to a teacher on the fourth floor? Yeah, that's it".

"Oh, okay." She sounded less than convinced, but didn't question it. "How was day number one? Was it everything you thought it would be? How exciting!"

"It's way different than homeschooling. For one, it's nice not having to worry about being smacked with a frying pan".

"Haha, I'd hope that wouldn't happen anywhere," Erasa laughed. "If I got smacked with a frying pan, I'd lose brain cells. And that wouldn't be great for me. Well, I'm out of here. See you tomorrow, cutie!"

"Bye." He thought about her reaction. She took it as a joke. Said she hoped it wouldn't happen anywhere. Maybe it didn't. Maybe he shouldn't mention it anymore until he found out what parents did to discipline their children in the city.

Gohan made his way to the rooftop. In the time it had taken to talk with Erasa, the stairwell had emptied. He regretted lying to his new friend, but "Oh, I'm just going to the roof so I can fly home. By the way, I can fly" probably wouldn't be a great answer. Although now that he thought of it, he probably could've just said he was going to the roof. Well, next time. He opened the door and stepped out. To his surprise, Videl was standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Videl asked. Her eyes flashed in anger, and Gohan suddenly realized how blue they were. Like the deep blue of the lake he and Goten liked to swim in near their house. He realized she was waiting for an answer.

"Um, nothing!" Gohan said.

"It's not nothing. No one comes up here but me. And I have permission. Are you following me or something? Come to ogle the famous girl? Just cause you sat next to me at homeroom doesn't give you free reign or anything around me. I can and will kick your ass."

"Hey, hey." Gohan waved his arms around his face. "What are you talking about? I didn't know you'd be here. I just wanted some air and figured I could see the view, is all. I love the view from up high, and it's been a... weird day. Besides, I barely know you. Why would I follow you?"

Videl visibly deflated. "You know what? You're right. I snapped. I'm not exactly having a great day. Look, do you want a ride home or something? Just this once though, because it's your first day and Erasa seems to like you".

"Ride?"

"Yeah. This." She took a capsule and activated it. A puff of smoke later, and a Capsule helicopter was sitting on the roof.

"Oh, wow. That's really nice of you to offer! But, I wouldn't want to bother you and I'll be fine enough on my own." Gohan said.

"Suit yourself. See you tomorrow, new boy". With that, Videl hopped inside and flew off. She looked a little... annoyed? Indifferent? Gohan couldn't really tell.

"It's Gohan," but the noise from the helicopter drowned it out. He sighed in relief, waited a few minutes, and took off. He hadn't lied about loving an aerial view, that's for sure. He loved being able to see everything going on. The cars, the trees, the guy mugging a middle aged lady. Wait, what? 'Lot's of crime in the city, huh? What should I do?' He already put himself at risk of being recognized that morning. Yes, he had different colored hair and eyes as a Super Saiyan, but he was wearing the school uniform, and he was pretty distinctive looking. If people put two and two together, it wouldn't be hard to figure out Gohan and the Gold Fighter (which he heard classmates whispering about in class) were the same person.

But before he knew it, he had turned Super Saiyan and doubled back. He was his father's son, and no way he could ignore injustice smack dab under his nose. He'd be done with the guy ten minutes tops. If he did nothing, by the time the police would be notified, the guy would be gone. He landed on a quiet corner to seem a bit more inconspicuous and started following him on foot.

The mugger caught sight of him and started weaving through streets and people, and ducked into an alley. He pulled a gun from his back pocket and looked around nervously but determined. Gohan came from above, unleashing a kick that held all the force of gravity from his aerial drop. The mugger slammed into the ground face first. With some effort, he scrambled up, face scratched and blood oozing from open cuts.

"You'll pay for that," the mugger growled. He was a heavy set man, no older than 30. He wore a faded grey hoodie with the hood up and around his face. It was most likely to conceal his face, seeing as it was a nice day out.

"If you give me the purse and the gun and promise to never do it again, I'll let you go". Gohan said. His only response was the mugger pointing his gun at Gohan and pulling the trigger. Gohan caught the bullet. "Well, I gave you a choice." he said.

"Holy crap, you dat guy in the news. It's true! You freak! DIE!" The mugger pulled the trigger again and again in rapid succession but Gohan only came closer unharmed. Gohan bent the barrel of the gun, and gave him an uppercut to the face which propelled him into the building behind him. A tooth flew out on impact and he crumbled to the floor where he lay unmoving. He heard clapping and turned to the now growing crowd who had heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Among them was the lady the purse belonged to.

"Excuse me ma'am." He said, consciously deepening his voice. "I believe this is yours. You may want to call the police for this guy." He gave her the purse.

"Oh thank you, thank you! I'm so grateful! Such a gallant, brave young man! Why, if I were thirty years younger... Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"Just make sure this criminal gets to jail."

"Of course. I'll keep an eye on him until they show up." She watched as he flew away.

Gohan flew low, behind the buildings the next few streets over when he noticed Videl's helicopter making it's way directly towards the scene. He became even more keenly aware that he needed a disguise. With that in mind, he headed towards Bulma's. She'd know what to do.

A/N I find that I only seem to get inspired late at night when I should be sleeping. Oh well. I'd just like to say that I am really grateful to my readers and reviewers since I haven't already.

Wichoman, to answer your question, I feel like it would be strange if Gohan wasn't nervous. It's not just for a want to be normal. He hasn't really grown up with anyone not in the tight-knit group of Z-fighters, so he doesn't know how to deal with people in general, and especially people his own age. He doesn't know what to do, how to talk to them, what to talk about, etc. He's totally out of his element. The fact that he wants to be perceived as normal is more icing on the cake. But, put him in a fighting situation and due to him training and fighting all his life, he is more than confident. I tried to convey that at least a little in this chapter, and I hope I succeeded.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Videl sat in her seat and doodled half-heartedly in her notebook as she waiting for everyone to arrive. She had, for once, woken up, gotten ready, and made it to school on time. That never happened anymore after she'd turned 16 and became the go-to voluntary police. She normally woke up early (as she did that day) and radioed the station to ask what area of the city she should patrol.

"It's been quiet. We're fine on our end," they had told her. "Go to school. You oughta be on time for once. Can't have people saying we're a bad influence on you." So she went to school. It was weird. She had almost apologized to the teacher when she walked in for being late, but the teacher hadn't even been there yet.

Her thoughts wandered to the Golden Fraud. He looked familiar. She'd only really gotten a back glimpse of him though. It was almost like he was trying to avoid her.

'Good,' she thought. 'Because I would beat him up and take him out of commission.' She had tried looking him up the night before. The internet came up with nothing but the recent heroics from the past day along with the golden fighters back from the Cell Tournament. This only cemented the idea that he was a fraud further. Her dad had outclassed them, despite their fancy tricks. Her dad saved the world. Not those bozos. And she was the one making the city safer, one day at a time. Not this Golden Boy who was there one day, yet managed to capture the heart of the city.

She'd even found a report about 'record-breaking low violent crime' because of this guy. He'd only been on the streets one day! You can't put the praise on him! She'd been the one persistently weeding out the criminals. She'd put in the time, the effort. Not him.

She wondered if he was connected to those fighters who fought Cell. Maybe he was even one of them. She wished she could find some sort of information in between yesterday's headlines and the mysterious Cell opponents. All she knew was that he appeared the day Gohan Son had transferred.

Videl tried looking him up too. She hadn't found too much. A lot was hidden. Information she should've been able to find had he been anyone else, but couldn't seem to dig up without authority she didn't have. This frustrated Videl and made her a little suspicious. Even if he had nothing to do with the Golden Fighter, it still meant he was hiding something. She did have a hard time reconciling nervous, nerdy Gohan with this crazy psycho who thought he was invincible. Besides, they had different hair and eyes, or so she was told. No way could anyone do a quick switcharoo like that.

Just then, the object of her thoughts came walking in. She decided to observe him that day when they shared classes and lunch and make conclusions once she had observed enough.

They ended up sharing gym, lunch, and english. Videl had been a little confused when Mr. Krillen (his first name, strangely enough. No one knew his last name) pulled Gohan aside to speak with him privately in his office, adjacent to the gym.

"What was that about?" She asked him when he came back out.

"Oh," he said, running his hand through his hair. He tended to do that a lot, she noticed. "He was showing me the ropes. He gave me a lock and told me my locker number in the changing room. He reminded me that I have to buy a gym uniform. I also had to tell him about my asthma."

"You have asthma?" Videl was surprised.

"Yeah"

Other than that, he'd seemed normal. He was smart, though he didn't participate much. She noticed him glancing around the room, as if to figure out what he should be doing. At one point, he nervously asked her if Erasa's pet name for him meant anything. She burst out laughing as Gohan's face turned crimson and he panicked. She had to explain between bursts of laughter that while Erasa probably did think he was cute, she was just a flirt by nature and didn't really mean anything by it. He seemed to struggle between looking relieved and disappointed, which renewed her laughter. They nearly got detention for it, but it was so worth it. She couldn't wait to tell Erasa!

With that, all her suspicions were banished for the moment. He was too innocent and naive to be a psycho vigilante. Must have only been a coincidence that he transfered the same day the Golden Fighter appeared.

A couple weeks passed and Videl was forced to admit that Gohan was pretty cool, considering. He wasn't as nervous anymore, which had gotten pretty annoying by the end of his first week. He apparently snuck in some gravity boots which let him jump really high during gym, when playing baseball. She hadn't seen it herself, but the guy she heard it from assured her it was awesome. She asked him where he got the boots, since they were pretty hard to get. He replied that he knew someone. He seemed uncomfortable and refused to say any more after that, so she dropped the topic.

He was always cheerful, and didn't treat her any differently than he did the other students, aside from being more familiar with her since he pretty much joined her group of friends. She didn't remember anyone doing that for a long time. No one but Erasa. While Sharpner was a god friend, he put her on a pedestal because he was obsessed with her dad. If it wasn't for that obsession fueling a sort of crush on her, she had no doubt he and Erasa would've gotten together by now.

Her radio went off. She excused her self from class and ran to the roof. Fifteen minutes later, she was downtown outside the National Bank. She found the captain behind a barrier made of cop cars.

"Captain, what's the situation?" She asked.

"Ah Videl. Glad you made it. We have a robbery in progress and hostage situation. I'm not sure how many people are in there, but the criminals have told us there are twenty. I don't know their health status. There were reports of gunfire before we arrived at the scene, and we heard some gunfire ourselves when we arrived. Haven't heard any in a while though, which is a good sign.

"There are three criminals, though I don't know what they look like. The one we've been in contact with is a heavy man, perhaps in his early thirties. All three went in with masks covering their faces, and each had a gun. We've been negotiating with them to free the hostages. They want money, transportation, and are willing to let go of all but three hostages, who they'll keep in order to insure we keep our end of the bargain. We are trying to negotiate further, and will accept if we have to, but at this point, it was more a diversionary tactic."

"Which is why I'm here." Videl said.

"Yes. I want you to climb the fire escape ladders to the roof and break in from there. Our intelligence is pretty sure the top two floors are deserted. The criminals would want to make sure all the hostages are in one room so they can keep an eye on all of them at once. Be discrete. Be careful."

"Yes sir." Wasting no time, she ran to the other side of the building where she ran and used the wall to propel her farther in the air to reach the closest fire escape to the ground. She pulled herself up and climbed the ladders. In no time at all, she was on the roof, kicking the door down. She hoped no one heard the door and stealthily crept down the stairs to the third floor.

Videl checked the rooms to make sure they were, in fact deserted. Her guard was up, and when she was attacked as she went inside one of the office rooms, she dodged the blow and dealt the perpetrator a kick. Down he went, and the ruler he held in his hand tumbled to the ground. He was shaking.

"Oh! Videl, it was you! Thank god. How'd you get in here? I thought you were one of them!" He was dressed in slacks and a button up white shirt. His hair was messed up and clothes wrinkled. He had a few spots of blood on his shirt, but not enough that Videl was concerned it was his own. No, it was someone else's.

"I'm glad you were prepared to fight the robbers. However, that could've been incredibly dangerous. If that was one of them, they might've shot you by now."

"Yeah..." he said, shifting his eyes. He was obviously in shock.

"Tell me what you know about the situation." She demanded.

"Umm, okay, though it's not that much. I was down on the second floor when it happened. Ayako burst from the stairwell and babbled something about guns and robbers and money. A minute later, one man came up with a mask on and a gun. He shot Ayako. I was so close, some of the blood splattered on me. It was horrible. Her face..." He shuddered. "He said we'd better settle down or we'd be next. Then he came up here, I don't know, to check if anyone was. He herded them downstairs and told the rest of us to go down to the first floor. 'Easier to keep an eye on us all' he said. By then, I had tucked myself away behind one of the desks. No one saw me because everyone was panicking. I waited until they left and went upstairs. That was maybe an hour ago? Maybe half an hour? I can't tell."

"Okay. I'll take care of the criminals. Go up to the roof and go down the fire escape. Tell the police what you told me." Videl said. He hesitated. "Go!" He quickly turned tail and left. Videl watched him climb the stairs and when she heard the roof door open and close, she continued her search. The rest of the floor was clear, so she went down to the second floor. According to the man, this floor should be clear too, but much can change in half an hour. She walked past the bloodstain, but didn't see a body. That probably meant the victim was still alive, though she was injured badly, by the look of the sheer amount of blood. The first few rooms were clear, but then she encountered a woman in professional clothes, tied up on a chair and gagged. The woman saw her, and she began struggling against her bonds and making noises.

"Shhh," Videl whispered. "I'm a friend. I'm going to get you out of here." But the woman only struggle more, alarm in her eyes. Videl ripped off the gag.

"Behind you" the woman croaked. Videl cursed and immediately wheeled around just as she heard a shot ring out. If she hadn't moved, she'd have been dead, with a bullet coming out her chest. But she didn't escape unharmed, Videl realized, as her shoulder exploded in pain and blood streamed down her arm. She looked up from the wound to the shooter. Grinning maniacally down at her - she was on the floor now, she realized - was the man from upstairs.

A/N 10/30/12: The story should pick up a bit in tempo from here on out. I've got a few ideas where to take the story, and we'll see where the story goes. By the way, does anyone happen to know the names of different countries? The only one I know of off hand is the Ox Kingdom. But what's the name of the country Gohan lives in? Or any other ones?

Also, I just realized the other week that I never put in a disclaimer. So here it is: I don't own DBZ. That should be good enough for the entire story.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As soon as Videl sprang up from her desk and dashed out of the classroom, Gohan raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom. Not exactly a great excuse, he acknowledged to himself, but the best he could come up with at the moment. His hopes were dashed as Mr. White refused.

"That was enough of an interruption. We don't need any more. Wait until class is over." He resumed her lecture on future tense of many common English verbs. Gohan looked at the clock. Class ended in ten minutes. He shifted in his seat as he began to think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. For a regular human, a lot could happen in ten minutes. For a teenage girl who hurtled straight into situations the city's police force hesitated to go into without the training or equipment, there was a lot more that could go wrong.

He was impervious to bullets. Or at least, they didn't really hurt much. It took a lot more than bullets to take him down. She was not. She might not even have a bulletproof vest. What was she thinking? What self-respecting criminal robbing a bank didn't use a gun? While martial arts became popular ever since the Cell Games, it required close combat, which, for the average citizen, wouldn't work when up against guns. Since police had guns, any criminal hoping to do a large scale robbery may have martial arts skills, but sure as hell wouldn't be relying on them as their first choice. Videl did not have a gun of her own to combat their advantage, nor, Gohan thought, would she probably want one.

Gohan's breathing got a little heavier as he struggled to not run out of the room. His fingers pressed into the wood underneath the desk, denting it. 'Seven minutes,' he thought, 'and then I can leave. And I'll get there much sooner than it'll take her to get there, so maybe she won't be in much trouble'. He really hated the idea of her getting hurt.

'Why?' a stray thought came through. He shook it aside. 'Because she's a friend. Because she's a person'. Then he felt someone shaking him. It was Erasa.

"Gohan! Are you okay? What's wrong? Is it your asthma?" she asked with a worried frown. Gohan realized she had been trying to get his attention for a while. He took a second to process and seize the opportunity given. He had no idea how she found out about his 'asthma'. On second thought, probably Videl. Thank god.

"Yes" he wheezed, while quickening his breaths. "Need my inhaler. Not in my bag. Have to get it. Tell him." he said in between gasps, nodding towards Mr. White. He clutched a hand around his throat and ran out, leaving Erasa to confront their startled teacher. He ran up the stairs to the roof, and took off at high speed.

Halfway there he remembered he was completely visible and recognizable as Gohan Son. He needed to change that, five minutes ago. Cursing lightly under his breath, he scoped the area, finding it empty of people. He turned Super Saiyan, and then activated his watch that Bulma had tinkered with. He watched as his school clothes were replaced with his orange gi.

'Much more comfortable,' he thought. 'I have to remember to thank Bulma again for this.' When he arrived, the police were sitting there waiting behind a barricade. One was shouting through a megaphone at someone standing visibly by a large window. The person had the beginnings of a bruise forming on one cheek, and a gun pointed at his head by one of the criminals who remained out of sight. His clothes were disheveled. An officer saw him and ran up to him.

"Mr. Gold Fighter, sir. This is an armed robbery, as you can see. We've got 20 civilians held captive inside. This has been confirmed via security cameras we have access to on the first floor. There may be more people upstairs. We are attempting to negotiate terms for a release of hostages. I was instructed to lead you to the captain if you arrived. He will update you further and answer any questions you may have about helping us with the situation."

Gohan nodded his consent and was led though a maze of officers and the gathering crowd of citizens before reaching the greying captain. As they saw him, they scrambled out of the way, excited and taking pictures. Gohan barely noticed aside from the irritating lights flashing in his eyes. While he was itching to just burst in the bank and wreak havoc, he needed information first. And the person in charge was the best person to get it from.

"Ah. You're here. I was wondering if you would show up. Personally, I am glad you did, even if the department as a whole is unsure of your allegiance or motives. Your talents will come in useful here. Once the hostages are freed, you can go in and handle the criminals. You've already proved that their weapons are virtually useless against you." The captain said.

"The girl," Gohan said. "The small one who appears when crimes happen. Where is she?"

"You mean Videl?" the captain asked. "She's...inside."

"You mean you sent a teenage girl to deal with a situation trained officers couldn't handle." Gohan said, bristling with anger.

"She's a lot more capable than many of my men, to be honest. Very resourceful, very bright. It is one of my greatest hopes that once she finishes with schooling, she will become an officer. But even so, I am ashamed that I must rely on her for such dangerous situations over my men. She started off just doing small things, but demanded to be put more in the action as time went on. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have let her, but some others did. After she got a taste of the action, she wouldn't back down. So I figure this way, I can plan around her. She'd be safer sticking to my plan than renegading on her own without one. A few of my men have actually gotten lazy since Videl began helping. I'm afraid that percentage will increase if you begin taking care of crime as well. But that's not why you're here".

"No. You didn't answer my question. Where is she?" Gohan asked with steel in his voice.

"She went in through the roof, hoping to perhaps take a few criminals by surprise." the captain said. Not a moment later, Gohan flew up to the roof, barely catching the captain's parting words; "Interesting how you don't ask about the hostages".

Just as he went through the door on the roof and started down the stairs, a gunshot rang out, echoing in his head. Then screaming. Lot's of screaming. Videl's screams among them. He punched through a wall and saw an thin middle aged man in ill fitting professional clothes standing in front of Videl's crumpled form and someone who must have been a hostage due to the ropes tying her to a chair. Videl started getting back up, clutching an arm. He saw blood spilling between her fingers. He watched as a rivulet of red slid down her arm and dripped on the floor. He snapped.

"You are going to PAY!" he screamed. The thin man shot at him, panicking and yelling for back up via a two way radio he pulled out from a back pocket.. Gohan swatted aside the bullets like they were nothing, and punched him in the stomach. The thin man flew into the wall, gun falling from his grasping hands and slid to the ground. The man picked himself up to an upright position and retched, spilling vomit all over his shirt and the floor. The hostage fainted. Gohan faintly heard Videl yelling at him to stop, but he was too far gone now. Gohan kicked the thin man once, twice, three times for good measure. The man was curled over and whimpering and a foul stench filled the room as he voided his bowels. Right before Gohan was about to deal a finishing blow, three men in ski masks and dark clothesburst into the room and each pointed their guns at Gohan, Videl, and the unconscious hostage. The man at Gohan's feet gasped out "Police".

"You don't want to do that" said Gohan. The interruption was enough to bring his sense out again. He felt sick at the idea that he nearly killed a man. Videl was hurt, yes, but a quick look assured him that it wasn't a mortal wound. Videl was up, and if it weren't for the guns, would probably be kicking ass right now. Which is what he had originally been scared of.

"Oh, I think I do." replied a tall large man with an automatic weapon. "See, all we wanted was a couple extra bucks and a clean getaway. We told the cops that. If they'd let us on our way, no one would've gotten hurt. But they sent you, and their resident slut over there. So I think I do want to kill some people. There are consequences to your actions!"

"As there are for yours" Gohan replied. "You shoot, you'll regret it. You back down quietly, you go to jail unharmed." He longed for them to realize their mistakes and quit while they were ahead.

"Hahahaha! And what are you going to do about it?" a shorter man with long red dreadlocks which escaped his mask said. "I heard about you. Don't believe a single thing they say about you. No way. Hey, Poison. go downstairs and kill the hostages. The police stepped in, so we gotta keep our promise". The youngest looking one with muscles pumped up his shotgun and started downstairs. The other two opened fire. Gohan rushed at them, using his speed to collect the bullets midair, letting some stray ones escape which embedded themselves in the wall.

Just as the dreadlocked man's smirk faded to give way to an open mouthed look of shock and disbelief, Videl ran in and decked him in the face with her uninjured arm. Now it was Gohan's turn to be shocked. He shook it off, and yelled at her to go downstairs to get the lone gunman. She left. He made quick work of the rest of them, knocking them out with a swift chop to the neck - what he should've done to the man who shot Videl.

Gohan gathered the men and dragged them downstairs to see Videl holding her injured arm and vocally directing the hostages outside with the help of a bunch of officers who must have swarmed the place once they heard multiple gunshots, and the man the dreadlocked guy called 'Poison' unconscious sprawled near the teller booths. Doubtless that wasn't his real name. A few of the former hostages were helping those who had been injured. While Videl had taken care of the criminal, it seemed he still managed to get a few shots out. It didn't look like anyone was killed, though at least two people, an elderly man and a young woman in her mid 20s, were wounded quite heavily. With quick transportation to the hospital, they would probably heal up fine. Gohan took comfort in that. The whole confrontation could've gone much worse.

The police took the criminals one by one, handcuffed their unresisting bodies, and threw them in the back of two police cars.

"Four of them?" one officer exclaimed. "I thought there were only three."

"This one looks like either a customer or, perhaps, an employee. See how he's the only one wearing professional clothes? He's also the only one without a ski mask. If he works there, it might explain how they were able to get control of the bank so fast." Another replied.

"And how they were able to get into the safes so easily" The first replied. "Look at this". She showed the other officer three duffel bags loaded with cash, and a couple empty ones that probably would've been filled, had the men had more time."

Gohan took this opportunity to go back to school, angry at himself for going too far with the one man, yet joyful that he was able to stop a crime with minimal casualties. 'I could've killed that man. I could've killed him. I'd have enjoyed it. I'm not a killer. I'm NOT. I'm not like Cell. I don't kill people. Well, unless they're like Cell. He was pure evil, and wouldn't have been stopped any other way. But this man, I don't even know his name, he can be kept behind bars. He can learn his lesson. He can be stopped without being killed. And I nearly bashed his head open.'

Through a haze, he landed on the school rooftop, deactivated his watch and went down the stairs, his feet clopping hard against the steps. He started heading back to English before he realized that the class would be long over. Taking a look at his watch, he realized that the next class was almost over too. If he hurried, he'd be able to catch the last twenty minutes of Literature. He tried sneaking in while Ms. Sachi was underlining a line from a poem on the blackboard.

"Mr. Son. What are you doing here so late?"

Gohan stopped, and put one hand in his hair. "Busted" a kid somewhere in the second row called out.

"I'm sorry Ms. Sachi. I had an asthma attack. It took me too long to get to my inhaler, so I still felt sick and had to step out for some air."

"Did you get a sick pass?" Ms. Sachi asked.

"No ma'am. Where would I get a sick pass from?" Gohan said.

"The nurse's office." she replied.

"What's a nurse's office?" Gohan asked.

"Sometimes I forget this is your first time at a public school. Just go to your seat." the teacher sighed. Gohan complied. Videl usually shared this class with him. She didn't show up. 'Guess she must've gone to the hospital for the gun shot wound.' he thought. During lunch, he was barely able to keep that to herself when Erasa asked Sharpener what he thought was taking her so long.

During his last class - art, he decided he'd go see her after school. Just quickly, make sure she was okay. He painted with jarring strokes and paint dripped down the easel. Then someone came in and interrupted the class. It was the girl who had printed out his schedule for him the first day and helped direct him to the right classroom. She went to the teacher and quietly told him something. A quick glance showed Gohan everyone had paused in their work and was waiting for Mr. Hatiyama to speak.

"Gohan?" he called. "Your mother is here to pick you up early. It seems to be about some matter of importance. You are dismissed. Please go with Miss Suzuki."

Gohan quickly cleaned up, picked up his bag and followed Miss Suzuki. It couldn't be anything bad, he thought. At least, nothing urgently bad. Otherwise it wouldn't be his mom. It would be someone else faster. Maybe Yamcha, since he was already here. But what would make her come all the way to the city? They reached the office. His mother stood there, chatting with the principal about the curriculum. 'Typical,' he thought.

"Mom" he said, to get her attention. "What's going on?"

At the sight of him, her eyebrows drew together, and she seemed a bit worried. "We have to go." she said.

"Go where?" Gohan asked.

"To your grandfather's".

A/N 2/6/13 - Yay I actually updated! I got a little inspired because I started watching the DBZ Abridged series again. I love it! It's honestly better than the actual anime. Hopefully, this chapter has enough action to make up for the previous slower chapters. Thanks to all my reviewers - both in general, and those who helped inform me more on DBZ world politics.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It took less than two hours for Videl to get to the hospital and get stitched up. If she'd had it her way, she'd have left to go back to school, or at least home. Unsurprisingly, the staff refused to let her leave even the bed they put her in. It's policy, they told her. But she got the sense that they mostly didn't want to piss off her father by 'not doing enough to save my precious daughter' when they told her they were keeping her there overnight with her father's blessing, 'just in case'. She spent the next few hours alternating between sulking, mindlessly watching the news on tv (currently tracking a storm nearing Eastern City) and thinking about what had happened.

Videl wasn't stupid. Stubborn and brave to a fault, yes, but she knew she might have ended up much worse if it hadn't been for the Golden Fighter. But, he terrified her. She shuddered just thinking about how dark his eyes went - it was like the ocean during a storm. Intense. Powerful. Humbling. He was no joke. She thought he was just a trickster. A liar. No way he could be more powerful than a bullet. No human could. But he was. That flying stunt of his was probably no stunt at all, and that concept tantalized her. The next few nights she would dream of flying with the wind in her face and a perfect view, unmarred by the glass and metal that made up her helicopter. In the sky, in her dreams, she was free, laughing and dancing with the breeze. The fighter was always there in the peripheral. Him and Gohan. Like twins. So were Erasa and Sharpner. Her dad too, though always only in the beginning, chasing after her as she began flying farther and farther from his grasp, as she laughed and twisted away from him.

But the only way to learn, she figured, would be from the fighter. And why would he teach her? How could she trust him not to kill her? He lost any semblance of humanity in that fight. He was dangerous. He would've killed that man. After being shot, Videl wanted him dead. But when the fighter started granting her unspoken wish, she realized that she didn't actually want that. Actually killing someone was a horrifying concept. She didn't want anyone to have to die. And the fighter was supposed to be a hero. Heros don't kill people.

'Except daddy,' a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She shot that voice down. While true, it was Cell or the entire world. Completely different scenarios. But seeing the fighter ruthlessly kick the gunman down even when he was clearly beaten gave her a healthy dose of respect for her father for being able to face Cell and take him down. Cell would've been a million times worse. After all, the fighter stopped. Cell didn't. She thought about the destruction he created in the cities, and then realized she wasn't just visualizing it in her mind - the news station was reporting on something that happened.

There was a rolling shot of Central City, near the World King's Palace. Instead of pristine greens and marble fountains, of flower beds and beautiful architecture there was scorched earth, rubble strewn on the ground, a gaping hole in the palace where the side of the building partially collapsed, and a number of injured or dead people laying on the street, surrounded by paramedics and healthy and minorly injured citizens. She couldn't hear what was being said. A quick frantic call to a passing nurse got her the remote which she used to raise the volume.

"...knows what has happened here today. Eyewitnesses are still coming forward - some anonymously, others openly. There are various records, but most agree that there was a suspicious man around the area who had been there for some time. However, there are different descriptions of this alleged man, so it is unknown whether or not the eyewitnesses are talking about the same man. Descriptions vary from this man being in his mid twenties to his late forties, whether he was blonde or a brunette, if he was as short as 5'6 or as tall as 6'3 and so on. Some say they saw a man place his bag down and then leave without it. Others say they saw a man, but with no bag, and that he was still there when the explosion occurred.

"So far, the explosion has taken the lives of twenty confirmed people, with estimations of at least two hundred more injured . Because of the proximity to the World King's Palace, the general consent is that this was a terrorist attack meant to either kill or scare King Furry. It is unknown whether the perpetrator was acting alone, or if he is part of a larger group. We are pleased to report that the King is safe and unharmed, but our hearts go out to the victims. We will be right back, bringing you live coverage to the event with reporter Yuu Nakagawa after the break."

Videl's jaw had dropped as soon as she started hearing the report. It was like she had summoned Cell and his destruction back with a thought. She felt shocked and guilty, but then growled at herself to stop being such an idiot. She didn't cause it. It wasn't Cell. It couldn't be. He was dead, after all. She took a deep breath and felt a tiny bit relieved. It was in Central City - not anywhere close to her. She didn't have any friends or family there. Then she felt worse than before. How could she possibly feel relieved when all those people had died - were dying. Where was she? She saved a few dozen people from the gunmen, but that was nothing compared to the casualties there would be at Central. There was no way she could've possibly gotten there in time, but still. She didn't realize that tears were spilling down her face until one dropped on the back of her hand, where she was clutching the bed sheets.

Videl numbly got up and started walking out of the room. The nurses didn't stop her. A couple were still bustling around, but most stood shellshocked, staring at one of the tv monitors in the waiting room. She didn't get very far. Suddenly she was hugging a stranger and they were crying together and she didn't know who the other person was but she didn't care. She blinked, and realized she was now holding someone else. She wasn't sure how long she had been there.

Somehow, she ended up at Erasa's that night. Erasa hadn't known about the attack until she got home from school. She reacted less violently than Videl had. Videl knew about pain and death more than Erasa. Erasa tried to treat it like a story - like it wasn't really happening. 'Look,' she seemed to say. 'Nothing happened. It's just a bad prank. Nothing like this would really happen. Not anymore. Not since your daddy saved the world!' But they ended up holding each other for comfort anyway and cried themselves to sleep.

Two weeks passed. School had been canceled the day after the attack, but went right back as scheduled afterwards. The atmosphere was heavy, yet Orange City along with the rest of the world kept moving forward. People far away from the attack counted their blessings and found reasons to smile and be thankful. Those in Central Capital and those connected to the victims were still stuck in a whirlpool of sorrow as the victim count increased with each person that was dug up and found, though many those who had been dug out right away were on their way toward a recovery.

No other attacks had followed, and an overwhelming amount of both financial and manual labor support had been poured into Central from around the globe to help deal with the situation. Videl and her father had gone right away to help out. Hercules Satan donated quite a large sum of money to the victims fund, and had given an unusually somber interview where he explicitly announced that if he found the terrorist who did this, there wouldn't be enough of him left for the King's Guard to put on trial.

Videl thought that what was really hitting everyone hard was the fact that this was done by people. It couldn't be blamed on robots or aliens or anything. There was no bad guy to hate and defeat. Just a blankness. People always fear the unknown, and this unknown was something to be feared.

When Videl finally went back to school, she noticed that quite a few people weren't coming in. Sharpner's parents were terrified that another terrorist might strike and figured they were safest at home. Gohan also didn't show up. She wanted to call him and see how he was doing, but didn't have any way of contacting him. Neither did Erasa. Even when Sharpner's parents eased up and made him go to school, Gohan didn't show. Videl also noticed more policemen walking around the city. Many were plain clothed. She knew and recognized them, but most people would not. It this sense, they'd be able to beef up security even if it didn't look it. Even so, she could feel the relief of citizens as they passed by uniformed officers. Things seemed to be getting more towards normal - at least on the surface.

Music filled the air in Videl's training room, where she had vigilantly been punching at a dummy with weighted fingerless gloves. She paused, wiped the sweat off her face with a towel, and picked up the offending item.

"Hey Erasa."

"Are you in a room with a tv?" Erasa yelled. Videl winced at the loud sound.

"No. What is it? More about the attack? Did they find who did it?" Videl tossed the weighted gloves off, where they landed with a muffled thump on the floor, and then started making her way to her room.

"Yes. No. It's sorta about the attack. You'll see." she said.

"See what?" Videl asked, frustrated.

"Channel 2. Call me back." Click.

Videl started at the phone in disbelief. 'Okay then,' she thought. A minute later, she was sitting on her bed. A quick press of a button turned on the tv. Another flipped it to channel 2. Commercial. She dialed Erasa back.

"Did you see him?" Erasa said by a way of greeting.

"See who?" Videl said. "All there is on tv is a commercial for heartburn pills. Can you just tell me what's going on? Please?"

"It's Gohan!" Erasa exclaimed.

"Gohan? What?" Videl was beyond confused. What was Gohan doing on the news channel? And how was he involved in a news story about the attack? "Is he volunteering there or something? I mean, he couldn't have been hurt in the attack - he was in class when I left for that bank robbery."

"No, he's not...well, he is volunteering too, but that's not the interesting part. Remember how you were so convinced he was keeping secrets?"

"Yeah..." It felt like so long ago to Videl. It just wasn't that important if Gohan wasn't completely forthcoming about his life. Not that she'd seen him anyway since the attack.

"Short story - he was. Guess you were right." Erasa said.

"Of course I was" Videl said. "What secret was he hiding from us? He's not...involved with the terrorist attack or anything, right?" Erasa stifled a snort of disbelief.

"Our Gohan? Course not. He wouldn't hurt a fly. No. Get this," Erasa said. "You know the Ox King? Of course you do. He's pretty much the figurehead of the movement against terror. Anyway, that's Gohan's grandfather. Which makes Gohan practically royalty. No wonder he hasn't been coming to school, right? Gohan and his family are at this press conference about the attack. Showing support for the victims and all. Kind of like how your dad did, except he was there. The Ox-King, that is."

Videl was still reeling in disbelief. Sweet, nerdy, idiot Gohan a prince (well, in name)? "I don't buy it." But then the commercial break was over and there he was, standing stiffly next to who must have been his mother and younger brother, who were in turn standing near the Ox King. They were all in formal dark clothes. The four people on the stage stood stiffly. Gone was the socially awkward boy Videl knew.

Gohan looked fierce. Almost dangerous. He had a steely glint in his eye that matched his mother's. His face were otherwise blank, but his eyes - darker than dark, showcased the rage he must have felt. His fists were clenched, and he reminded her so much of the Fighter when he had snapped those few weeks ago.

Gohan's mother stood regally, posture straight and rigid. Her eyes flitted, assessing the situation, instinctively looking for possible enemies. Videl knew because she did this herself when helping the officers. The woman held herself like a martial artist, and suddenly Videl wondered how much Gohan knew. With the Ox-King as his grandfather, and his mother clearly familiar with the art, there was no way he could be completely ignorant of it. Gohan's little brother tugged at his collar, clearly unhappy with the situation. He was too young to understand what happened, Videl thought. 'May a situation like this never occur again, so that he doesn't have to.' The Ox King loomed above them height-wise and was speaking at a podium with a grave expression. His face was scratched up and burned, a bruise framing his left cheek. His arms were exposed to the elbow and were blistered red, scraped and bandaged around his right forearm and fingers on both hands. She realized he was talking.

"...event has reminded me, after so much time, that life is uncertain. Life is treacherous. My heart goes out to the victims and the families and friends of the victims. A dear friend of mine was injured in the blast, but thank Kami, he's not in critical condition." The scene cut to a blonde reporter in the newsroom.

"The Ox King was at the scene during the explosion, in the building. He courageously threw himself in front of a group of workers and visitors to take the brunt of the explosion. Afterwards, he wasted no time running towards the epicenter of the blast, tearing and ripping rubble to save people. He was not the only one to do so, but his actions galvanized others, who followed his example even after the confusion and damage the explosion created. Others yet ran for help, both going to the police and to gather civilians to help the wounded. The Ox King worked tirelessly through the day to help clear the rubble. Today he is joined by his family." The scene cut back to the podium.

"I live on Fire Moutain, which used to be consumed by a never dying fire. This was something that enraged me. Yet, I never feared for either my nor my daughter's safety. But this. This makes me angry. This makes me afraid. I am not invincible. I could have died. I did not, and pray that I have helped drag others away from death as well.

"I have called this press conference together to both pledge my utmost support and loyalty to King Furry and Capital City, but also to name my heir in the event of my death or incapacitation - whether it be natural or unnatural. My daughter, Chi-Chi, has shied away from the bustle of politics, preferring to live a simple life in the country. However, she is clever and passionate. She has my iron will and a sense of justice. She will make a fine protector of my sector of the world. She is joined today by my two grandsons, Gohan and Goten. Gohan will be the next heir in the line, as firstborn." The Ox King's expression changed, both rueful and terrifying. He seemed to grow bigger, fiercer.

"I wish to remind those old enough to remember me as I was when Fire Mountain burned. I was brutal. I was not an enemy anyone would like to make. I may have grown older and softer, but I will not stand for this kind of cowardly attacks from the shadow. My men are working with the King's Guard and multiple other government entities to help uncover the truth. This attack needs the entire world to stand together. I am standing with the King. I will make the terrorists rue the day they tried to blow up the Palace. They have made grave enemies out of my and my family. And wherever you are, you have bitten off more than you can chew." And then he smiled softly.

"But even so, I want to express how proud I am of the people, of the country. Within the terror, people came forward to help, expecting nothing in return. Only hoping that they might help someone in need. I am proud of all of you who dug next to me in the rubble. I am proud of all of you who ran for help, to help. I am proud of all of you who have since traveled here to Central City to rebuild, to support. I am proud of all of you who have donated money, food, clothing, and everything else. I am proud of all of you. We have proven that we are better than this. We will not turn on each other in times of terror but hold onto each other and prove all the stronger. Thank you." The Ox-King moved one step back and the scene switched back to the newsroom.

"What a magnificent speech. I, for one, am also very proud of the country's reaction to the horrific bombing and how we've all come together, and I can also say that the world will have a bit more interest in the life of Chi-Chi, the officially newly named successor. We'll be right back with more coverage after the break." Videl turned off the tv. She needed time to process this.

A/N 4/15/13 - I actually wrote the majority of the chapter a month or so ago, in which I was very much influenced by 9/11, but had gotten stuck. Today, I was hit by the inspiration to finish the chapter because of the bombing in Boston. I am sincerely proud of all the people who ran to get and give help, and ran to the hospital to donate blood along with other things. My heart is with the victims.


End file.
